ProPerpsCrypto PerpetualsShort Selling

Short Selling

Short crypto with leverage

Open leveraged shorts on crypto futures without holding or borrowing the underlying.
Create free accountCreate free account
Kraken Pro trading interface with charts and order form.

Available on

ProDesktop
$2T+
Total transaction volume
190+
Supported countries
13M+
Registered users
15+ years
Operating since 2011

Trade a falling market on your terms

No borrowing, no locating. Open a leveraged short on futures, size it to your conviction and bound the risk with stops.

Profit from downside

Take a leveraged short when your thesis is bearish, and size the position to your conviction, not your spot balance.
A falling price line from a short entry down to a marker labelled "P&L +18.4%."

No borrowing, no locating

Short the future directly. You don’t hold, borrow or locate the underlying asset to express a downside view.
A large red "Short" button.

Precise entries and exits

Place limit, stop and take-profit orders so each short fills at the price you set, not the price you’re handed.
A price chart with a sell order marked "Short - limit $65.000."

Define your risk

A short can lose more than your margin as price rises. Use stops, reduce-only orders and clear liquidation levels to cap it.
A rising chart with a stop level marked "Long - Stop loss $60.000" below a "Liquidation" line.

Discover 16 crypto perpetual markets

Trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and 13 more — with contract sizes and margin requirements built for active traders.

MARKET

PRICE

24H CHG.

VOLUME

Explore Pro

How it works

1. Fund your account
Verify and fund your Kraken Pro futures account.
2. Pick a contract
Choose the contract and expiry that match your bearish view.
3. Open the short
Set size and leverage, then place your entry with a stop and take-profit.
4. Manage to exit
Watch margin and liquidation levels, then close or reduce as your thesis plays out.
Create free accountCreate free account

Short selling FAQs

Forbes voted Kraken the best crypto platform in 2025. Kraken Pro lets active traders open leveraged short positions on crypto futures with the order types and risk controls a serious strategy needs, on a first-party platform.
Yes. A short future profits when price falls; you never hold or borrow the underlying.
Leverage varies by contract and region. In the eligible jurisdictions, clients on Kraken Pro can access over 350 futures markets with up to 100x leverage.
Losses grow as price rises and a position can be liquidated. Stops and reduce-only orders help cap your downside.

Related content

Funding rate graph

Perpetual Futures - Funding rates

Depth chart

Perpetual Futures - Liquidity

Spot Long and Futures Short position

Perpetual Futures - Carry trades

Reading the futures curve

What are crypto futures contracts?

Order types for futures

Order types for futures

Managing liquidation risk

Managing liquidation risk

Hedging your spot book

Hedging your spot book

Explore more products and features

Spot

Low-cost execution with advanced tools.
Spot order types

Prop

Pass an evaluation. Get funded with up to $200,000. And keep up to 90% of the gains.
Kraken staking

Stocks

Get exposure without a separate brokerage.
Stocks
Decorative Blob
Decorative Blob
Decorative Blob
pro logo

Ready to dive in?

Create a free account to unleash the power of Pro. It takes as little as 4 minutes to get started.

Get the app
Kraken Pro Portfolio screen

Futures trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for everyone. An investor may lose all or more than the initial investment. Trading should be undertaken only with risk capital—funds that can be lost without jeopardizing one’s financial security or lifestyle—and only by those who can afford such losses. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Prior to trading digital assets, review the CFTC and NFA advisories for additional information regarding the significant risks involved. View Risk Disclosure Statement.

Brokerage services are provided by NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC d/b/a Kraken Derivatives US, a CFTC-registered Futures Commission Merchant and NFA Member (NFA ID: 0309379). View Disclosures.

Bitnomial, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, is a derivatives exchange company that owns and operates U.S. CFTC-regulated exchange (DCM), clearinghouse (DCO), and clearing brokerage (FCM) subsidiaries. Bitnomial offers leveraged spot, perpetuals, futures, options, and prediction markets on a single unified exchange and clearinghouse with digital asset margin and settlement capabilities. View Disclosures.